Young Muirhouse artists show a lot of bottle!

Zoo Arts, a creative  project led by artist Alice Betts based at North Edinburgh Arts, will be installing  another piece of exciting contemporary public art in Muirhouse Shopping Centre  on Wednesday (15 May) at 5pm.  

Light will shine  through recycled plastic bottles filled with coloured water turning a grey space  into a playful symphony of colour. This eyecatching piece of work has been  created by local young people who have participated in creative  outreach sessions supported by Muirhouse Library and Muirhouse Youth  Development Group. 

Zoo Arts aims to  encourage and support young people to develop their contemporary art skills,  install temporary public art and undertake professional art commissions. The  project works with local young people (9 – 14 years) who have an interest in  visual art and are keen to develop their creativity. This project hopes to  inspire future creative collaborations, locally and city-wide. 

For more information  go to  www.northedinburgharts.co.uk or to dicuss the project further contact Angela Austin on 315 2151, email marketing@northedinburgharts.co.uk

MuirhouseShops

Independence? Posing the question through drama

Stuck in the Middle Poster

That referendum – made your mind up yet? If leaflets, TV debates and party political broadcasts leave you unmoved, maybe a drama performance will spark some interest and generate debate? Inverleith CLD worker Callum McLeod is certainly enthusiastic about a forthcoming event:

I’ve attached a poster advertising performances by Inverleith Youth Theatre which will take place in Broughton High School and North Edinburgh Arts theatres of in two weeks time (details in the poster).

The ‘Stuck In The Middle’ storyline concerns a teenage male’s journey and his subsequent thoughts towards becoming “Independent”. However, I’m sure the audience will find various other messages and subplots – and perhaps even a wider social issue for them to explore through the watching the performance!

We’re also planning the event so that there’ll be space at the end for discussion and so folk will have time to discuss the piece further, and share their thoughts with other audience members – and we do imagine that the subject matter will carry over for some time!

Without doubt, I’m slightly biased towards Inverleith Youth Theatre’s performances but they are usually of a good standard and so I can honestly say that I’m sure this will be a fab performance and well worth attending!

The main aim of the performance is to get as many people as possible talking and thinking about the actual issues raised, so we’ve made the event free. We’ll still be taking donations though as this youth group are trying to take it’s members – and the performance – to a youth drama camp over the summer, so any contributions towards this will be welcomed!

Inverleith Youth Theatre’s  ‘Stuck In The Middle’ performance dates:

Tuesday 16 April 7pm Broughton High School

and

Thursday 18 April 7pm North Edinburgh Arts

 

Callum McLeod

Inverleith CLD, Broughton High School

STUCK

Muirhouse set to stage double arts event next Friday

Muirhouse is the place to be for culture vultures next Friday, with not one but two big arts events planned:

echoes

North Edinburgh  Arts is hosting ‘Echoes’ on Friday 12 April at 7pm

A new version of Mamma Mia  has been written by a community group fighting the city council’s plans to close  Castlebrae secondary school.

The Abba track IT, will be  sung by members of the Save the Brae campaign group during a performance of a  play that they have written called Echoes, which will express their opposition  to and frustration over the council’s proposals for the school next  summer.

Among those taking part in  the play is Kevin Finlay, chair of the Save the Brae group, who said: “I think if you go  back in history, any local issues like this have been tackled by using arts to  get points across.”

Around eight men and  women, most of whom are members of Save the Brae will perform the 55-minute play  at North Edinburgh Arts on Friday 12 April at 7pm.

Susan Heron, 54, plays Ina  in the play – a fictional character who has lived in Craigmillar all her life  and doesn’t want the school to close. Susan says the play was a “powerful statement of how Castlebrae school life was and is”.

Tickets are £3 or £2 Good  Neighbours (GN) price. To book tickets please call Box Office on 0131 315  2151

cropped-CCHS-grey-edge-smooth[1]

and in the afternoon …

Travelling Gallery visits Craigroyston High School on Friday 12 April 1 – 4pm

with ‘feel-good’ art exhibition

The Travelling Gallery will be visiting Craigroyston High School on Friday 12 April, with its latest exhibition ‘Turquoise Heid’ on board. This curiously named exhibition is a busy group show of established  and emerging artists from both home and abroad.

Working in a broad range of  media including drawing, animation, film, sculpture, photography, performance,  collage and painting, the exhibition will include artists who use a playful,  childlike, feel good essence in their work, sometimes hiding darker depths but  more often making us smile. The simplicity and low-tech nature of many of the  artworks disguises sometimes complex processes and skills but also makes the  exhibition instantly accessible to audiences of all ages.

’Turquoise  Heid’ includes work by artists Matthew Barnes, Olivia Bee, Yeodoo Jung, Peter  McDonald, Alex Millar, Jock Mooney, Kim Rugg, Yukako Sakakura and David  Shrigley.

Visitors can also look out for artist Ellie Harrison’s Early Warning  Sign which the Travelling Gallery is hosting in 2013 and which will sit outside  the vehicle. Utilising the brazen marketing techniques of capitalism, the sign  attempts to grab the attention of passers-by: to remind them of the consequences  of excessive consumption and to force climate change back on the agenda. The  harder the wind blows, the faster they go! www.ellieharrison.com.

The Travelling Gallery is a custom-built, mobile, contemporary art  space inside a big beautiful bus. Supported by Creative Scotland, the Esmée  Fairbairn Foundation and the Museums and Arts Division of the City of Edinburgh Council, the Travelling Gallery brings high quality contemporary art  exhibitions and events to schools and communities throughout Scotland.

North Edinburgh Arts has arranged for the gallery to be open to  the public on Friday afternoon at Craigroyston High School. The Travelling Gallery’s visit has been  supported by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Children and Families Department.

See www.travellinggallery.com for all the  details or ‘like’ on Facebook

art bus

Centipede Big Easter Bash is postponed

Muirhouse Centipede Project’s ‘Big Easter Bash’, which was to have been held on Easter Sunday, has been POSTPONED.

Organiser Linda Dunbar explained: “Given the  state of the ground and the snow forecast over the weekend we have taken the decision to postpone the Centipede Project’s Big Easter Bash. It is not the weather for planting or egg rolling. The event will be rescheduled – hopefully later in April, and we’ll be in touch as soon as we have a new date.”

North Edinburgh Arts Director Kate Wimpress added: “I think this is the best decision, and we have circulated this on our Facebook/website/email networks. I’ll look forward to working with you on the rescheduled date.”

The cancellation of the event is a disappointment, but the Big Bash will be something to look forward to when (if?) the sun eventually starts shining again!

MuirhouseCentipede

 

Young snappers pick up 121212 prizes

Muirhouse Centipede Project have kindly supplied a photograph of Gemma and Garry Pearson receiving their prizes from Muirhouse St Andrew’s locum minister (and lead Centipede!) Linda Dunbar.

Pearsons

There’s still time to see the exhibition before it finds a permanent home at Muirhouse St Andrew’s – check out previous 121212 post for details.

Help make your neighbourhood a better place to live

Sunset3

A reminder about two forthcoming Forth Neighbourhood Partnership consultation events:

Help us make Forth a better place to live

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership would like to hear your views on what you think could improve your local area.

Neighbourhood Partnerships (NPs) are the City of Edinburgh Council ’s approach to delivering local community planning and they work to improve the quality of life in the area. The four councillors for the Forth Ward are all members of Forth NP along with City of Edinburgh Council , Lothian & Borders Police, Lothian NHS and local Community Councils.

The Partnership has recently been reviewing its work and we hope you can help shape our priorities by telling us what improvements you would like to see in your area. This can include planning issues, community safety, parks & green spaces, traffic issues or anything else you are concerned about.

We also want your suggestions for small to medium scale environmental improvement projects for funding through our Neighbourhood Environment Programme (NEP).

Muirhouse and Salvesen

North Edinburgh Arts Centre

(Behind Muirhouse Shopping Centre)

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Drop in anytime between 6pm and 8pm

Tea/Coffee and Sandwiches provided

Children welcome.

Granton and District

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

(Pilton Drive North)

Saturday 16 March 2013

Drop in anytime between 10am and 12 Noon

Snacks and drinks provided – Children welcome.

How do Neighbourhood Partnerships Work?

They can:

•Bring decision making closer to the community
•Provide opportunities for communities to express their views
•Set out the priorities to improve quality of life in the communities
•Make recommendations to the Council and other partner organisations about the way services may be delivered in the local area
•Comment on strategic decisions that affect the local area
•Award small grants to community groups for local projects that can make a difference in the local area.

For further information contact Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Development Officer Jim Pattison:

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership

North Edinburgh Local Office,

8 West Pilton Gardens, EH4 4DP.

Telephone 0131 529 5082

Email jim.pattison@edinburgh.gov.uk

PosterMuirhouseCC2013

PosterGrantonCC2013

 

Countdown to Yummy Food Festival

FOOD_FESTIVAL_A5FLYER

Just six days now until the big event …

Please find attached the flyer for this year’s food festival. Organised by a group of local women from West Pilton and Muirhouse this food festival aims to inspire and encourage healthy eating. The afternoon will be full of food demonstration and workshops by local people and organisation as well as food-related arts workshops, face painting, singing from North Edinburgh Sings Together, balloons, baking competition, and our local celebrity chef Neil Forbes (pictred below) , Mrs Mash the foodie story teller, The Edible Garden, Kitchen Canny, the Seed Truck, goody bags, tastes of the food, recipe cards and a whole lot more!

So if you can, share this with your local networks, groups and organisations. Hope to see you on the day!

Best Wishes From

The Yummy Food Festival Steering Group 2013

yummychef[1]

Gemma’s the little star of 121212!

ChildWinner

Seven year old Gemma Pearson’s photograph of her family Christmas tree is the winner of Muirhouse Centipede Project’s 121212 photography competition.

Muirhouse folk were encouraged to take lots of pictures on 12.12.12 on the themes of love, peace, joy and hope and submit them for exhibition. There was a good response and the wide variety of excellent entries is now on display in North Edinburgh Arts.

Judges loved Gemma’s picture, submitted under the theme of ‘Joy’; the photo captured their hearts. Gemma’s caption reads: ‘I took a photo of my mummy’s Christmas tree it is very beautiful. My mum took hours to put everything on the tree it has 360 white lights. Everyone loves my mummy’s tree but I love it the most. My Auntie Nicola says it looks like a tree out of the Christmas movies. This makes me very happy and excited for Santa coming’.

Winner of the adult competition was some bloke who may have overindulged in mulled wine before submitting his entry, a fantastic ramble about Santa and a helper donkey visiting Muirhouse. Too much Christmas spirit!?

See for yourselves – the 121212 exhibition moves to Muirhouse Millennium Centre today before moving on to Muirhouse Library from 11 – 17 March.

donkey